With over 2,000 locations across North America, Panera Bread has carved out a special place
in the dining landscape thanks to free wifi, healthy options, and food that's fast without
being fast food.
But how much do you really know about your favorite sandwich shop?
Here's a look at the untold truth of Panera Bread.
Au Bon Pain
If Panera Bread feels like a modern, upscale version of the old bakery chain Au Bon Pain,
there's a good reason for that.
The Saint Louis Bread Company was founded in 1987.
In 1993, though, the burgeoning chain was purchased by Au Bon Pain and renamed Panera.
Six years later, they decided to expand outside of the St. Louis area and go national.
Just how sure was Au Bon Pain that Panera was the future of bakery cafes?
The company actually sold off Au Bon Pain itself in order to focus exclusively on Panera
instead.
Their secret weapon wasn't even bread, though.
As one of the first chains to offer free internet, at one point Panera actually became America's
largest provider of free wifi, helping turn the regional brand into a national sensation
overnight.
Certified fresh
Though the dough used at Panera Bread is prepared off-site and then shipped to individual locations,
the bread and pastries you get at Panera are in fact baked on-site each and every day to
ensure freshness.
Not everything you get at Panera is done that way, though.
According to a Reddit AMA by an alleged Panera employee, their mac and cheese is sent to
store frozen and then reheated, while some fruits like avocados are supposedly left out
all day and thus may not be so fresh by the time you get to them.
You don't always have to pay
According to the USDA, over 40 million Americans had trouble getting the food they needed in
2016.
In order to help address that need, Panera has opened Panera Cares sites in Saint Louis
and Boston.
These non-profit Panera locations are just like the regular stores, except patrons only
pay what they can afford, and can even eat for free if they don't have any money.
Plus, Panera Cares also helps connect people with other services, such as food pantries
and housing shelters.
Of course, it hasn't been all great; the company had to close down the Portland site among
others because there weren't enough paying customers to keep the location afloat.
"That was the big risk here… will the community step up and take on shared responsibility?"
So far, however, the two current locations are going strong, thanks in part to the fact
that some people actually pay more than necessary in order to help those in need.
Good job, humanity!
They're pretty healthy
In 2013, Panera was named the healthiest fast food chain by Health magazine.
They were the first chain in the industry to post calorie counts on their menus, and
were praised by dietitians for their variety of healthy options, such as whole-grain breads
and fresh fruit.
Additionally, the half-size option makes it easy to exercise portion control when ordering
soups, salads, and sandwiches.
They were also credited with having healthy options for kids, including organic peanut
butter and yogurt.
But they aren't stopping there.
The company announced in 2017 that everything on the menu will be available in child-sized
portions, making it easier for kids to have a variety of healthy options, while challenging
other chains to follow suit.
Clean eating?
Panera boasts that all the food they serve is "clean," which according to the company
describes food that has...
"No artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners, and no colors from artificial sources."
That sounds good, but some experts have criticized Panera's clean campaign as fear mongering.
Matt Teegarden, a graduate fellow in food science at Ohio State University, told Forbes,
"It promotes the perception that scientific-sounding food additives are harmful, unhealthy substances
that do not belong in foods.
Their scientific names, admittedly, may not sound super appetizing, but in no way does
that mean they are unsafe."
Go small
Finally, if you're sitting down for a meal at Panera, here's a money saving tip: you
don't need to order a large fountain drink or coffee, because "aside from smoothies,
lemonade, iced green tea, hot chocolate and made-to-order espresso drinks, all beverages
come with free refills."
Free refills and free wifi?
No wonder Panera is so popular!
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